During the first U.S. energy crises in the 1970s, the need for sustainable and renewable energy became evident, and President Jimmy Carter created the country’s first renewable energy program. In the early 1980s, the first commercial electricity from wind energy in the United States was produced in Tehachapi, beginning the modern U.S. wind energy industry. Early turbines stood only 80 feet tall and produced 25 kilowatts, enough to supply only a handful of homes. Today, turbines on tubular towers rise over 300 feet and generate 1.5 to 2 megawatts, enough power for 700 to 800 average homes. Although nearly 30 wind companies operated at first, by 2010 only a handful remained, notably Florida Power and Light, Oak Creek Energy Systems, Inc., and Zond Energy, which became Enron Wind Power and is now GE Wind Energy, one of the world’s largest wind turbine producers. In the early 2000s, Tehachapi was the largest producer of wind energy and was considered the Wind Capital of the World, though that title has since been challenged by major developments elsewhere. With new and upgraded transmission lines by Southern California Edison and an additional 4,500 MW of renewable energy, Tehachapi was set on a course to claim the largest concentration of renewable energy on the face of the planet. Reflecting the future need for skilled wind and renewable energy technicians, Airstreams Renewable Inc. provided training and education at its 33-acre Green Corner Renewable Energy Training Center and Solar Industrial Park in Tehachapi. The Kern Wind Energy Association, formed in 1983, worked to unify the wind industry in the Tehachapi-Mojave Wind Resource Area and promote business retention, growth, and success.